WesWorld

January 1
The government has announced that Adolph Haider, also known as "The Thin Man", was found dead by a Yugoslavian Army patrol on the Yugoslavian-Bulgarian border on December 20th. A Bulgarian Army patrol heard gunfire on the evening of the 19th, while searching for an individual (now believed to be Haider) who shot his way off the Orient Express, killing two policemen and severely wounding a customs officer. The patrol investigated the disturbance but did not cross the border into Yugoslavia, instead passing on word to the Yugoslavian Army, which dispatched a patrol.

Bulgarian officials have speculated that Haider, crossing into Yugoslavia, stumbled across a group of poachers who robbed him and shot him in the face. The Yugoslavian government returned Haider's body to the Bulgarian police with the statement "Keep your riff-raff and malcontents on your side of the border."

January 4
The Bulgarian Royal Navy has released word of the various international cruises it will make in 1936:
- February 12th through March 23rd, the Fourth Torpedo Boat Division and HBMS Varbitsa will join the Turkish destroyers Yildiray and Atilay for a cruise into the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, with projected ports of call in Hedjaz, Aden, Doha, and Jubail.
- May 1st through June 15th, the First Battle Squadron (battleship Varna, cruiser Stara Zagora, and four torpedo boats) will cruise the Black Sea, calling at Constanta, Sevastopol, Poti, Trabzon, Samsun, and Constantinople.
- August 14th through September 10th, the battleship Varna and minesweepers Struma and Kamchiya will travel to Coldmere for the international review and the coronation of Queen Bethanie. The fleet's schedule is not completed at this moment, but courtesy calls may be made in Rome, Gibraltar, and the Netherlands on the trip home, when Varna shall have Tsar Boris embarked aboard.

The House of Orange will be pleased to receive his Majesty, Tsar Boris and Varna, as well the Government and peoples of the Netherlands.

In that case Varna will definitely stop in the Netherlands on her return voyage.

January 10
The Sobranie convened today for the first time since the 1934 and 1935 coup. Among the first items of business was the formal confirmation of three treaties (already signed by Tsar Boris, but requiring the Sobranie's signature): the Treaty of Alliance with Turkey, and the Treaties of Dobrich and Constantinople (with Romania). All three treaties were re-confirmed and signed by the Sobranie after short discussions. A Sobranie spokesman noted that their actions were mainly a stamp of approval, and there was no opposition. The Sobranie was then adjourned for the weekend.

January 29
The Sofia University announced today that a unique find was been made in Peshtera. While exploring a karst cave outside the city, an English adventurer and his wife, and their Bulgarian guide, discovered a cache of ancient Thracian pottery. Experts from the Sofia University quickly arrived to inspect the treasure trove, and discovered a large number of scrolls, believed to date from before 750 BC. Upon inspection, the scrolls were found to be the oldest existing manuscript of "The Deluge", the Atlantean national epic. A second set of scrolls, apparently written by the same author, recounts the tale of the Atlantean chieftains in the Trojan War (circa 1270 BC); although other versions of this story exist this variant has been unknown until now.

Leading Atlantean experts in the fields of archaeology, history, and literature have arrived to study the find in greater depth. One scholar noted that the scrolls probably arrived in Bulgaria (ancient Thrace) by way of traders from Greece, where the scrolls were most likely made by a scribe, copying from an original.

Sofia University officials noted that the discoverers of the hoard would be suitably compensated for their find. Discussions of the scrolls' ownership, however, is already underway, with one unidentified Atlantean collector offering a significant sum to purchase them. However, the University spokesman indicated the scrolls were not for sale, and will be probably be loaned to a museum, either in Atlantis or in Bulgaria. "Of course this is an exciting find for students of Atlantean history and literature," the spokesman said. "We are working closely with several museums and universities in Atlantis to determine an ideal place for these relics. Permitting them to hide in a collector's library would be a travesty."

February 12
The Fourth Torpedo Boat Division and minesweeper HBMS Varbitsa have sailed for Turkey to join the destroyers Yildiray and Atilay.

February 18
The Bulgarian Navy announced that several midget submarines will be purchased from Atlantis this year. Twenty-eight officers and sailors, all volunteers, will travel to Atlantis to be trained in submarine operations in preparation for the purchase of the submarines.

February 18th
The Bulgarian Army has publicly confirmed that an order for 900 Brossel TAL trucks and 300 Minerva M20 off-road cars was made in late 1935, and deliveries have already begun.

February 19th
The Bulgarian Navy, in company with two Turkish destroyers, makes its scheduled port call at Aden. On February 23rd, the fleet will arrive in Doha, where it will stay for five days before steaming to Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

28 February
The Bulgarian Navy arrives at Jubail.

March 1
Bulgarian firearms designer Ilia Radichkov has presented a new semiautomatic rifle for review by Army officials. The new design, dubbed the Samo-Tovarene Pushka Radichkov 36 or STPR-36 (Self-loading Rifle, Radichkov, year 1936) is a dramatically different design than Radichkov's earlier "Voyvoda" SLR, demonstrated last year for the Army as well as possible foreign clients.

Radichkov has spent a great deal of time in Switzerland over the past four months, working with the designers at Schweizerische Industrie-Gesellschaft. The Swiss influence shows in several design cues shared between the intial STPR-36 design and the K-31 Schmidt Ruben rifle, including a similar stock, sights, trigger, and bayonet.



March 21
The Bulgarian Army has announced that it will be tentatively purchasing two thousand STPR-36 rifles to be manufactured in Switzerland and exported via J.P. Sauer & Sohn. The rifles will be used for field testing by the infantry. Half of the production will be chambered for 8mm Mauser (7.92x57mm), while the other half will be chambered for a narrowed-down 6.5x55mm round, which the Army reportedly favors due to lighter recoil and slightly better ballistics.

March 23
The 4th Torpedo Boat Division has returned from its cruise to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Naval officials pronounced the exercise to be quite satisfactory, having proceeded without major incident.

Quoted

Originally posted by Brockpaine
March 23
The 4th Torpedo Boat Division has returned from its cruise to the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Naval officials pronounced the exercise to be quite satisfactory, having proceeded without major incident.

No incident? Looks like Vuko missed his chance to stir the pot.

Not going to waste my secret weapon on Torpedoboats

Unfortunately Persia's Rocket powered "shivka clone" torpedo's are 70 years away.

Unless I'm informed that an incident is being sought, I am presuming there is no incidents.

Quoted

Originally posted by thesmilingassassin
Unfortunately Persia's Rocket powered "shivka clone" torpedo's are 70 years away.

If you knew about it, then it wouldnt be a secret weapon

March 25
The Bulgarian Navy has updated the cruising schedule for late 1936. The First Battle Squadron, composed of dreadnaught Varna, light cruiser Stara Zagora, torpedo boats Bulgarophygon, Doiran, Ovche Pole, and Hristo Botev, and the minesweepers Struma and Kamchiya, will depart Bulgaria on August 5th to visit the port of Palanga, Lithuania (from August 16th to August 21st). On the 21st, the squadron will pick up Tsar Boris and his wife, who plan to fly through several eastern European countries on their way to attend the coronation of Queen Bethanie of Coldmere.

Leaving Palanga, the First Battle Squadron will steam to Coldmere and participate in the naval review associated with the coronation. Baring any unforeseen Manzo incidents, the squadron will then take the Tsar and Tsaritsa to the Netherlands by September 2nd, where the Tsar will meet with Dutch officials as well as Queen Wilhelmina. On September 4th, the Tsar will depart the Netherlands by air, and the First Battle Squadron will return to Bulgaria.